The Indianapolis journal., 1887-07-05

death, shall politically perish. 1t has even
drawn the assassins knife. and lighted the torch
of the incendiary. in order to inspire dismay in
the ranks of It's enemies The time has there
fore come when this issue must be met Politi-
cal parties can no longer dodge 1t if they would.
Private citizens must take sides openly, for or
against the saloon, with its methods and its re-
suits. Neutrality is henceforth impossible; in
difference is henceforth betrayal OF the trust
briefly inquire: What is the American saloon
'system2 What are it's relations to politicsf By
what right does it exist How shall it be utterly
New York has become a pivotal State. The sa-
looms rule the city, the city rules the State, and
the State decides what shall be the ruling power
OF the Republic. We are. therefore. to all i n
tents and purposes. rum ruled nation We
shall not be surprised at the ability of this or
ganization to accomplish these results if
glance st its magnitude and resources. 1t claims
to have in the United States, ST, ,000 000 900 in
vested in the business of making and selling
liquors There at least 500. 900 direct employees
Millions of poor miserable victims and camp
followers stand ready TO do its bidding 1t is
supported and defended by the vicious habits,
appetites. passions and preiudces of millions
and the percentage Of profits far greater.
as the statistics prove than
derived from all of our 14O. 600 miles of railroad.
Add to all this the disgracefui fact that, with
these mighty resources at command, it has
formed a close alliance. offensive and defensive
with one of the great political parties of the
organization, with such resources and such pcllt-
ical alliances, has become the ruling power in
many parts of the Republic. and that it boldly
proclalms its purpose of supreme political domin-
lonf l do not pause to describe the hideous
character of its rule in cities and towns,
where 1t has full sway, for your own experience
and observation will speak more eloquently
that point than any words of mine My purpose
just now is to show that while read with hon
est pride our grand and immortal Declaration of
independence. We are to-day, the subjects of q
tyrant more exacting, cruel. intolerant and hate
full than ever welded royal scepter dis
graced kinglv crown
Let few facts, selected from the many at
command, confirm this statement. Take. first,
that which is among the least important. viz,
the enormous waste of property and productive
power 1t IS estimated upon the best attainable
authority that this tyrants revels cost annually
more than 500, 600, 900; that 500 900 victims.
rendered worse than useless. staggering
along in his triumphal procession to dishonored
graves and that his army of immediate retain
ers-the makers and venders of liquid fire.
numbers 500. 900 more.
Estimating that this million of makers,
vendors and victims. if engaged in legiti,
mate business, could have earned ST. so per day
we have a loss in productive power of s450 600.
600 per annum which, added to the 500 600 900
wasted for strong drinks, makes total of ST.
100000, 600. Add TO this taxation-estimated at
500, 600, 000-for tho support of jaiis criminal
prosecutions, penitentaries, almshouses, pau
persm, and all the unnumh hered burdens i'm
posed upon the country Dy this tyrant. and you
have 81. 800, 000, 600 as the annual cost of his
traton of King George. with the tax the
historic tea that century ago was put to steep
in Boston haroora
s'Let it be borne in mind that this burden rests
most heavily upon the poor. who least BILE
to bearit 1t is doubtless that large portion
of il is borne by the rich and prosperous. but il
only one half of it falls upon the wage workers
OF the Nation, there is opportunity for
anti poverty society with possibilities beyond
the widest dreams of Mr.. George and DR.. Nc
.GlynD. Mr.. Powderly. in a recent speech, said,
in one Pennsylvania county, in single year,
$17, 600 600 was spent for liquor, and il esti
mated that $ll 600 900 of the amount came from
workingmen.' The savings that could be made
through an anti-saloon apti-poverty society
would. in ten years, buy half the farms in the
United States. and in fifteen more furnish a
fund large enough to purchase every railroad in
the country and pay for them moro than their
actnal cost.
"In addition to It's waste of property and pro-
ductive power, and its relentless cruelty. the
saloon IS a most dangerous enemy to the Repub
lie. The home and the ballot the very
ner stones on which our free institutions rest
the very holy of hoies behind tho sacred affairs
of freedom. Destroy the one. corrupt the
other, and free government is q failure. The
liquor saloon aims it's deadly blows at both. II
the hopes OF our fathers and our own ambition
for this great Republic to be realized. we
must protect and cherish tho myriads of homes
where children are daily taught those lessons Of
Christianity, liberty. justice and forbearancs
which alone will qualify them for the sacred
trust of citizenship. Whatever else the liquor
saloons have done, they have never made one
nappy ChrlStlan nome. and they never VIII. On
the other hand, they have created unnum bered
thousands of places, misn AIMED homes, wher(
the seeds of disorder and anarchy daily
planted and nourished in the minds and hearts
of the young. These desecrated homes the
primary schools in which are taught. by precept
and example, the first lessons in disorder and
crime. while the saloons themselves are the col
leges from which the most dangerous order OF
criminals are graduated
by what right does the saloon exstl know
of none. Slavery had some excuse for existence,
w cd a W hqH nj in fhs
Constitution. The saloon system can plead no
constitutional guaranty. Even the absurd and
oft repeated claim of personal liberty put
forth by the liquor drinker does not apply to
the seller. If we admit the right to commit sui
eide it does not prove the right to commit mur-
der If have the right to destroy my useful
ness and my life by strong drink poisonous
drugs it does not follow that you have the right
TO sell them to me, knowing the use 1 will make
right TO exist on any claim Of usefulness It is
not legitimate branch of trade, supplying a
natural and healthful demand, but, we
have already seen, active. tireless agency
for that which is only perncious in
it's effects. IT its dreary pathway of vice be
or for humanity, it has not yet been reported.
IL il has one redesming virtue to Offset against
an un broken monorony of wickedness, it has
been most successfully concealed. Its character,
purpose and history declare it to be proper sub
jecE for political outlawry, without title to SYM
pathy, or the right to be.
IF society has the right of self-protection
against unjust taxation it most assuredly may
protect itself against the unequal burden i'm
posed by the liquor traffic. If the right exists to
guard the community against crime, corruption
or the spread of contagious disease for much
stronger reason is exists against the saloon,
which is the known of more crime,
corruption. disease and death than any other
agency.
.'The only honest ground on which the saloon
system can claim the right to be is the right Of
the individual to get money regardless of the
to society. And for the same
reason that we punish criminals who put that
principle into practice, have the right to
abolish the saloon.
This suggests my last question: How shall tha
saloon be utterly destroyed The answers to
this question more abundant than harmoni-
Gus. More time and strength are wasted on the
of methods than in their application.
More thought seems 70 be given to the plan OF
and the kind of weapons to be en-
ployed than using them.